The invention relates to templates for films used in electronic device applications such as photovoltaic cells, light emitting diodes, and the like. More particularly, the invention relates to flexible templates for such films.
Many thin-film oxide and semiconductor sensor and device applications depend on the presence of a suitable epitaxial template for the growth of thin films having a high degree of crystallographic orientation. Single crystal templates that are used in conventional epitaxial growth techniques are limited to select materials.
Polymer-based substrates are of particular interest for use in applications such as flexible electronics, sensors, solar cells, and displays. However, devices that use such polymer-based substrates suffer from poor performance due to the fact that the oxide, nitride, or semiconductor films deposited on the substrate are either amorphous or polycrystalline.
The use of either amorphous or polycrystalline films on polymer-based templates results in non-optimal electrical/optical/mechanical properties. Therefore, what is needed is a flexible polymer-based template having a biaxially oriented surface. What is also needed is a method of making such templates.